The Return of Satoko
by RyukoVulpix
Summary: Whatever happened to that orange dress, anyway? When Haruka complains that Satoshi just doesn’t understand girls, to what lengths will he go to prove her wrong? And so, Satoko is revived!


_Author's Notes: The main character in this story is a "girl" named "Satoko," who made one appearance in the anime in episode 26 (dub title, "Pokémon Scent-Sation!"), the episode where Satoshi wins the Rainbow Badge from Erika. If this hasn't triggered your memory yet, then I'll give this "girl's" dub name: "Ashley." And if your memory is still not bringing a picture to mind, or if you happened to miss that episode, then I'll post a link to a (9/9/08: YouTube now exists!) VIDEO of this "girl":  
_

_www . youtube . com / watch? v (insert equals sign) dtsVl5bHtoM_

_Daah, I hope this link doesn't go bad. (twitch)_

_Basically, 'Satoko' is the alter-ego that Satoshi used to sneak into the Tamamushi Gym... and "she" made a very interesting bit of fanfiction fodder indeed!_

_Lastly, since I was on a bit of a sugar rush during the course of writing this fic, resulting in a flow of crazy ideas, I will point out that there are no intentional romantic pairings in this fic. I tried my hardest to avoid "awkward situations," although I realize that in the end it's really up to the reader what goes on "behind the scenes"... so go ahead! Imagine what you want! XD Just don't complain to me that you don't like so-and-so and so-and-so together. And for the record, none of the guys (well, except one... but you'll see) know that it's actually Satoshi under that wig._

_I had an insane time writing this story. (After all, Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails of "Sonic the Hedgehog" make an appearance!... of sorts. Sweatdrop.) Enjoy!_

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**The Return of Satoko**

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"_Oh my gosh!" Haruka exclaimed, dashing back to the camp. "Look what I found!" she said, holding up a soggy paper bag..._

_Just then, much to everybody's surprise, Satoshi jumped up as if his seat had been set on fire._

"_Aaaaaah!"_

"_Satoshi?" Takeshi, Masato, and Haruka all exclaimed at once, but in a split second, Satoshi had already disappeared from sight..._

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To fully understand this story, we must take a long trip... a trip back in time...

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_Four years ago..._

Entering the Tamamushi Gym, Erika sighed as she glanced around the charred building. Who knew how much work it would take to rebuild what had once been a flourishing greenhouse and top-level battle site... Carefully, she and her attendants stepped through an undamaged section of the building, hoping to find anything that could be taken out before they started to rebuild.

Erika stopped by an unburned closet, which one of her assistants was already rummaging through. "Can I help you?"

The girl looked up at the leader, her arms already full of clothes and items to save. "Er... I've gotten almost everything, but... there is one thing that I'm not sure what we should do with..."

"What is it?"

The assistant shifted her bundle to one arm and pointed at a few _somethings_ lying in the closet, as if they had been hastily thrown in by someone who obviously didn't care much for them. Erika took a closer look and paled.

"Oh... I see why you didn't want to touch that..."

"Wh-what should we do with them, Miss Erika?" the girl asked. Erika thought for a moment...

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"To help raise money to fix the damage caused by the recent fire, the members of the Tamamushi Gym are holding a sale! Please stop by and look around!" a Tamamushi girl with a megaphone announced to a large crowd outside the gym.

Outside, long tables were spread out amongst the Tamamushi Gym's plants, with hundreds of items for sale. A woman stopped by one table as a bright orange color caught her eye...

"Oh, honey, look at this!" she said, holding the garment aloft.

"What? Oh... yeah, Mitsuko, that's nice," her husband, obviously less than thrilled to have been dragged here by his wife, murmured.

"Hello there, ma'am, may I help you?" a girl asked, walking up to Mitsuko.

Smiling, Mitsuko held out the dress. It was a rather bright shade of orange, with a white collar and blue bow on it. Of course, Mitsuko couldn't possibly have known who the previous owner of that dress had been... "How much would this be? There doesn't seem to be a price tag on it..."

"We'll get the price for you at the checkout. Er... you may need to let the hem down a bit," the girl said, seeing as how this lady was at least a few feet taller than the person who had been wearing this dress...

"Hm? Oh, it's not for me," Mitsuko shook her head. "You see, my daughter enjoys playing dress-up, so I'm always on the lookout for clothes like this."

"I see!" the girl said. "Actually, there are a few things here I'm sure she'd like..." Scanning the table for a few seconds, the girl reached out and picked up a pair of red dress shoes and what looked a bit like the end of a mop. However, after she straightened it out, Mitsuko realized that it was a yellow wig, complete with a pink bow on top.

"Ah! She'll love this! Won't she, Senri?" Mitsuko hissed, stepping on her husband's foot to wake him up out of his boredom-induced trance.

"Huwha? Oh! Yeah! That's great!" Senri said loudly. Mitsuko turned to the girl and sighed.

"Well, I'll take these, then. Can you show me to the checkout?"

"Okay, follow me," the girl said, starting to make her way off through the crowds of people and tables.

"Where are the kids?" Mitsuko asked Senri, who shrugged. "Go find them!" she said, shooing him off. "I'll meet you outside."

A few minutes later, shopping bag firmly clutched in her hand, Mitsuko saw her husband and two children exit the gym.

"Mommy! Mommy! What did you get for me?" the older, a six-year-old girl, called out. Mitsuko handed her daughter the shopping bag, which the girl promptly tore open. Holding up the too-large dress, the girl's face broke out into a giant smile as she saw the contents of the bag. "Thank you!" she shouted. "I'm going to play with these as soon as we get home!"

Mitsuko smiled. "I'm sure you will, Haruka."

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Nearly four years had passed when, sitting in his kitchen in Jouto, Senri got a job offer he couldn't refuse...

"Mitsuko! Kids!" he yelled as he held the letter in the air. "I'm going to be the Gym Leader in Touka City!

"_We're going to Houen!"_

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"Haruka, Masato, this is a great opportunity to empty out your closets and get rid of all that junk you've been accumulating," Mitsuko pointed out to her kids.

"You're one to talk, Mom," Masato grumbled.

"Take this," Mitsuko said, pulling a box out of Haruka's closet. "What's this? Dress-up clothes. Haruka, you haven't played with any of these since you were eight! You can't possibly need any of these, right?"

"Oh, but Mom..." Haruka complained, opening the box and lifting out a dusty orange dress. "These clothes represent the best years of my life!"

"And someone else will appreciate them, I'm sure," Mitsuko said, replacing the dress and closing the box. "Now, I want you to start going through your things, okay?" And with that, Mitsuko left the room. A very unwise decision.

"Hmph," Haruka muttered, opening the box and stuffing a few articles under her bed.

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"Haruka! What is _this?"_ Mitsuko exclaimed, opening one of the boxes marked "Haruka" as they unpacked in Mishiro Town, Houen.

"Uh-oh..."

"Honestly, sweetie," sighed Mitsuko, holding up the orange dress. "When will you use this again?"

"Er..."

"Exactly. In a few days, we'll go to Touka City and visit your father's gym, and I'll drop these things off there at a Goodwill or something," Mitsuko said, fishing through Haruka's box some more. "Why don't you go unpack?"

"Ugh! Parents..." Haruka muttered, walking off into her new house.

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_From Touka City, that infamous orange dress, red shoes, and blonde wig traveled from one secondhand shop to the next, until finally they ended up in the window of a small store in a place called Kioku Town. Coincidentally, that is where our heroes happen to be at just this moment..._

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"Uwaaah...!" Haruka gasped in delight at the many, many clothing stores along the street where she and the others were walking. "Look at all of the shops! Come on! Let's go!" she shouted, nearly dashing into the nearest one.

Satoshi frowned. "But we've got to hit the Pokémon Center first."

"Oh, you and your Pokémon!" Haruka sighed in exasperation. "Don't you ever think about anything else?"

"Ah..."

"Don't answer that."

"Hmph." Satoshi folded his arms, quite irritated.

"It's all right, Satoshi," Masato said. "Girls are just weird. And this one is a prime specimen..." _Whap!_ Haruka smacked Masato over the head. "Ow!"

"Oh yeah? Boys are such dweebs," Haruka muttered, rolling her eyes. Suddenly, she noticed something in one of the shop windows. "Hey! Masato! Look at that!" she said, pointing toward the display. Masato, Takeshi, and Satoshi all turned to see the object of Haruka's sudden excitement.

Masato blinked, and his mouth fell open. "Didn't that belong to you?"

"Yeah, it did!" Haruka grinned, running to the window. Behind her, Masato followed, as did Takeshi. But Satoshi remained rooted to the spot, shocked beyond words...

"It's my old dress," Haruka explained to Takeshi as they stared at it. "My mom bought it for me when we went on vacation to Kanto, and I used it for dress-up for _years,_ but Mom made me get rid of it when we moved to Houen... oh my gosh! They even have that blonde wig and the shoes that went with it!" At her words, Satoshi began edging away slowly...

Takeshi stared at the dress, something clicking in the back of his mind. "You know, for some reason that dress looks oddly familiar..." But just before he could think of it, he noticed something _else_ in the shop window that appealed to his particular interests much more...

Sweatdropping, Haruka and Masato watched blankly as Takeshi dashed into the secondhand shop and began to talk to a rather pretty girl standing behind the counter. "Shall I go fetch him?" Masato asked.

"Yes, please," Haruka sighed. "Oh, and ask how much the dress is!"

"_What?"_

"Well, since Mom's not here and I'm in charge of my own finances," pointed out Haruka, "I don't see why I can't get back what's rightfully mine."

"Fine... jeez, you get bossier every day," Masato grumbled as he pushed the door open.

"Ah, this brings back memories..." murmured Haruka, gazing at the hideous orange garment. "... Satoshi, what're you doing all the way over there?"

"Erk..." Satoshi froze where he was, several yards from where he had previously been. "Um... I'm going to go to the Pokémon Center now, meet you there!" he called before taking off.

"Huh." Haruka put her hands on her hips. "And they called _me_ weird."

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For upon seeing that dress, a certain, rather bad memory had come to Satoshi's mind...

"_What are you three doing up there?" "Hey, pest, I bet those girls kicked you out of their gym, huh? If you let us down, we can get you in..." "Why would I trust you?" "But you need that badge, don't you?..."_

"_This is our daughter, Sato... ko, and we'd like to enroll her into your gym, please..."_

"_Oh, I wish Satoshi could've heard that story..." "But I did hear it!" "Huh? What did you say?" "Aah...! P-please don't stare at me like that, I'm a very shy little girl..."_

"_Pikapi!" "No, Pikachu, get away from me!" "Pi? Pikaa... chuuu!"_

"_**Satoshi?"**_

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"Uggh..." Satoshi shuddered at the memory as he waited for Joi to return his Pokémon. "And here I was, thinking I'd never see _that_ again..."

"There he is..." Turning around, Satoshi saw Haruka, Masato, and Takeshi walk in the door. "Why'd you run off like that, Satoshi?" Takeshi asked. "There was this beautiful girl at the store, and..."

"And she seemed very happy to see you go," Masato added, but Takeshi had already caught sight of Joi and was no longer paying any attention to anything else.

"You should've come, Satoshi," Haruka said. "There were a ton of things in that store that would've looked good on you, and they're all at dirt-cheap prices..."

"I don't care!" Satoshi said loudly. "What is it with girls and clothes? Don't you ever think about anything else? At least Kasumi would talk to me about Pokémon!"

"Just because some of us actually _care_ about our appearances..."

"You should be working on your training!"

"There's more to life than Pokémon!"

"Are you _crazy?_ No way!

"Now, now, you two," Takeshi said, pulling them apart (Nurse Joi had hurriedly ducked into the back room). "Why don't you go cool down for a while?"

"Fine!" both of them spat, then stomped off to opposite sides of the room.

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"Hmph..." Satoshi and Haruka refused to face each other as they walked down the street. After picking up their Pokémon, Takeshi had figured now was as good a time as any to go look at the stores Haruka wanted to visit, and to pick up a few supplies. However, the four ended up walking around town in complete silence for quite a while...

"You know what your problem is?" Haruka finally said. "You don't understand girls at all."

"Why should I?" Satoshi asked.

Haruka sighed. "You're so immature. What are you going to do when you want a girlfriend?"

"_Yuck!"_

"... and I repeat. You are _so_ immature, Satoshi."

"You know, Haruka has a point. There's no harm in knowing how girls think," Takeshi pointed out. "You ought to try thinking like Haruka. You might learn something."

"Thinking like Haruka? Oh, that's easy," Satoshi rolled his eyes. "'Oh my gosh, look, isn't this cute?...' 'Look at that, it's so useless but I ought to waste my money on it anyway...' 'Oh wow, I'm going to go stare at these clothes for hours, wasting time I could spend training...'" he mocked Haruka shamelessly.

This was the last straw. Haruka exploded, "You _JERK!_ You know _NOTHING_ about girls! You know nothing about _ME!_ I bet you wouldn't be able to understand girls even if you tried for a hundred years!"

"_Is that a challenge?"_ Satoshi shouted back.

"Stupid! That's all you think about, isn't it?" Haruka screamed before stomping into the nearest clothing store.

"I am not stupid..." Satoshi muttered. "I understand girls, right Pikachu?"

"Pikaa..." Pikachu pointed to something down the street. Takeshi and Masato watched in interest as Satoshi suddenly paled.

"Satoshi? Is something the matter?"

"N-no..." Satoshi stammered. Glancing at Takeshi and Masato, he said quickly, "I'm gonna go look around... see you later..." And with that, he took off.

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When he was a good distance away from the others, Satoshi sighed. "What do you think, Pikachu?" he asked. "Is Haruka just nuts?"

Pikachu sweatdropped. "Pikachuu..."

"Oh, great, so now you're taking her side?"

"Pika, pikapi." Pikachu sighed.

"She thinks she's so much better than me... I can do anything she can," Satoshi muttered. "I bet I could think like her... Understanding girls... how hard could it be?" he asked Pikachu.

"Pika?"

"Exactly!" Satoshi grinned. "And I'll prove it! But how...?"

"Pika, chaa," Pikachu hopped off Satoshi's shoulder onto the ground and started to run.

"Huh? Pikachu! Where are you going?" Satoshi said, following his Pokémon.

In no time at all, Pikachu had led Satoshi right to the front of that certain secondhand store... where Satoshi froze upon seeing that familiar dress.

"Oh no, not..."

"Pika." Pikachu stood on its hind legs and did a curtsey (which was actually very impressive, it being a Pikachu and all).

"You're kidding, Pikachu..." Satoshi looked up at the window display with a disgusted look on his face. "I am _not_ dressing up like a girl... and... proving to Haruka that I can... _so..._ understand..." Just then, Satoshi felt himself looking at those much despised items in a new light...

"... now where's my money?"

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"Money? Oh, no, as long as you keep your friend away from me, I'll give them to you for free," the store owner said to Satoshi.

"Friend? Oh, you mean Takeshi," Satoshi said, putting away the little money he had. "He kind of acts weird around girls all the time."

"I... I figured, the way your other friend pulled him away," the store owner laughed nervously. As she started to put the dress, wig, and shoes into a plastic bag, Satoshi hurriedly stopped her.

"Um, paper, please..." _'I don't want anyone to see me carrying this stuff around... that'd be kind of... awkward...'_

"Okay..." said the store owner as she grabbed a paper sack. "By the way, not to be nosy or anything, but... exactly why do you want these?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh! Um... they're, they're not for me, they're for... uh... my friend," Satoshi said lamely. But luckily, at the mention of his friend, _any_ of his friends, the store owner blanched and hurriedly handed Satoshi his purchases without any further questions.

"Okay, thank you for your business, take your time in coming back," she said very quickly, virtually dropping Satoshi outside on his tush.

"All right," Satoshi said to Pikachu. "Now, all I have to do... is..."

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"Okay, Pikachu, can you stay here and watch my stuff for me?"

"Pika!" Pikachu saluted Satoshi.

The two of them had found a spot on the edge of town, near a river, where hardly anybody was passing by. In the shelter of several trees and large pieces of shrubbery, Satoshi... well... does that really need to be said?

Leaning over the clear water and using it like a mirror, Satoshi fixed the wig on his head, doing his best to hide his bangs. "Jeez, I guess my hair must've grown out since then..." he murmured to himself. Looking down at the dress, he was surprised that it wasn't a good six inches too short. "Maybe someone let down the hem or something," he shrugged. Oh well. As long as no one could tell who he was...

"All right, Pikachu, I'll be back in a couple of hours, I guess," said Satoshi. "Will you be all right until then?"

"Pika!"

"Great! Now... off to prove Haruka wrong!" Satoshi said triumphantly before walking off through the brush.

As soon as Satoshi was out of sight, Pikachu could not hold it in any longer.

"_Pika ha ha ha ha ha!"_

_Whoosh._ Satoshi stuck his now-blonde head back into the bushes.

"What was that?"

Pikachu had a perfectly serious look on its face. It shrugged. "Pika?"

"Hmm..." Satoshi walked off again.

Under its breath, Pikachu snickered. _"Pi-kehehehe..."_

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'_I wonder where Haruka is?'_ Satoshi thought as he walked along the sidewalk. As he walked, he was acutely aware of his lack of pant legs. _'How do girls put up with these things?'_ he mentally grumbled at the skirt.

As he walked, Satoshi started thinking of how to get back at Haruka. _'Maybe I should start talking to her about girl stuff... how hard could it be? I've heard her and Kasumi talking thousands of times,'_ Satoshi snickered. _'And after I change back, I'll tell her it was me! She'll be so freaked out!'_

Apparently, Satoshi's previous discomfort about that particular dress had been overshadowed by the thought of getting back at Haruka.

While Satoshi plotted his ever-increasingly-impractical revenge against Haruka, he didn't notice a shadow coming toward him...

"Um, excuse me, miss?" Satoshi whirled around to see a boy, younger than himself, standing on the sidewalk with an incredibly red face.

"... yes?" Satoshi said, remembering to keep his voice a pitch higher than usual (luckily for him, his voice hadn't gone through much of a change yet).

"Um... are you a princess?" The younger boy smiled innocently.

Satoshi was left in awkward silence for a few seconds. "Uh... No, I'm not..."

"Oh..." the boy looked a bit dejected. "I... I'm sorry... it's just... you're very pretty," he said, smiling up innocently at Satoshi's mentally frozen face. "I thought you must be a princess, 'cause you're pretty like one..."

'_...'_

Indeed, mentally frozen.

After a few more seconds had passed, Satoshi managed to say, "Um... thank you?" And at a _very_ rapid pace, he walked away.

'_That... was odd,'_ was the only thing Satoshi was able to think to himself.

'_But,'_ he thought, _'at least that means my disguise is working! Although...'_ Satoshi paled, _'I'd better find Haruka before anyone else talks to me...'_

_Snap!_ Satoshi nearly jumped as he noticed a camera go off, flash and all, only a few feet to his left. Behind him, he heard the wings of a Poppo or something flap away.

"Oh shoot!" A brown-haired boy holding a camera jumped up from the bushes, startling Satoshi even further. "Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, miss, I didn't see you there," he laughed apologetically.

Satoshi couldn't believe his eyes. _"Tooru?"_

"That's my name!" Tooru grinned proudly. He paused. "Hey, how'd you know my name? I don't think I've met you..." he said, getting a better look at Satoshi. "Although, I could've sworn I've seen your face before... are you a model?" he asked.

"Uwaaah!" Satoshi nearly fell over. "N-no," he said, his voice shooting up an extra octave from nervousness. "What would give you _that_ idea?"

"Well, I read lots of photography magazines, so they usually have something about professional models in there... but if you say you're not, I guess you aren't." Tooru shrugged. "So, you must be interested in photographs, if you've heard of me."

"Y-yeah," Satoshi said, finally starting to feel a little less tense. "I've seen some of yours before, they're really good. Pokémon are the best, aren't they?" he said, smiling.

"You bet!" said Tooru. "I've never really been into training, but I love taking pictures of them. It's like... capturing a single moment from someone's life, you know? And from that time on, you'll never forget that moment..."

"Um... yeah."

Suddenly, Tooru smacked his head. "Oh, jeez, I'm being impolite. Here I am, rambling on and on to a stranger... Well, my name's Tooru," he said, holding out his hand. "And what might your name be?"

"Huh? It's Sato... ko," Satoshi said, catching himself just as Musashi had when she'd entered him into the gym. "My name's Satoko." 'Satoko' reached out and shook hands with Tooru.

"Satoko? That's a nice name," Tooru said, studying 'Satoko' a little harder. "You know, you remind me a little bit of one of my friends... his name's Satoshi. Weird, huh?"

"Y-yeah... weird..." 'Satoko' agreed.

"Hey! Why don't I take your picture?" Tooru offered. 'Satoko' sweatdropped.

"Are you sure...?"

"Sure! I've started taking pictures of people together with Pokémon. It's really quite interesting, you know... people and Pokémon, living together in one world... Oh, here I am rambling again. Anyway, I was trying to get a picture of the Pokémon along this river when you came by. Do you want to go look for 'em together?" Tooru asked.

"Uh..." _'I ought to be looking for Haruka,'_ Satoshi thought.

"I'm sorry," 'Satoko' said apologetically. "I have to go find someone, and I'm going to be late..."

"Oh, sorry about that," Tooru said. "Maybe I'll see you around someti-- wait!" the boy said, crouching down into the bushes again.

"What is it?" 'Satoko' asked.

"Over there! There's the Poppo I was trying to photograph earlier! Here, come look from here," Tooru said, pulling 'Satoko' down into the bush with him. "When you see it from here... don't its feathers look a little differently colored than usual?"

"Hey, yeah..." 'Satoko' stared at the Poppo. "Is it shiny?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm trying to photograph it. I've been collecting rare Pokémon photos for a long time," Tooru grinned, then sucked his breath in when the Poppo turned around. "Oh no... it's seen us! I hope it doesn't fly away..."

But to Tooru's shock and relief, the Poppo hopped closer. Suddenly, it flew right at them, landing at 'Satoko's' side. 'Satoko' held her hand out, and the Poppo fearlessly hopped onto it.

"I guess, living here in the city, they're pretty used to people, huh?" 'Satoko' said. "You want to take a picture?"

"All right, say cheese," Tooru said, quickly snapping a photo of 'Satoko' and the Poppo. The flash startled the little Pokémon, though, and it fluttered away.

Standing up, Tooru thanked 'Satoko' heartily. "Thanks a bunch! I got a photo of a rare-colored Pokémon, _and_ got a great example of how city Pokémon can be so friendly..." he grinned. "You know, I hate to sound stereotypical, but I think girls pose better with small Pokémon than boys... Anyway, thanks for your help!"

"Right, well..." 'Satoko' said, brushing off her dress. "It was nice to meet you, Tooru!"

"Same to you!" Tooru said, packing up his camera equipment. 'Satoko' hurriedly stepped out of the bushes and walked on.

'_Well, as long as I don't meet anyone else I know...'_

The next few minutes were uneventful, as Satoshi walked up and down the streets of Kioku Town, trying to find Haruka with no luck. However, just as he turned the corner...

"... wonder where Satoshi's gone. He doesn't usually just wander off with out us," said Masato.

"He probably just went to cool off somewhere... or he's gotten into a Pokémon battle," Takeshi said. "That'd definitely tie him up for a while."

"I wonder where Haruka is, too," Masato said, looking around at all the different stores. "Satoshi's right about her and clothes, you know... Looking at clothes would tie her up for at least twice as long as a Pokémon battle would Satoshi."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to trust that we'll meet up back at the Center, then..." Takeshi sighed, turning the corner and walking on.

From where he was hiding on the other side of the street, Satoshi let out a big sigh of relief. "Thank goodness..." he muttered. "The last thing I need is for Takeshi to catch me... he'll probably recognize me on the spot..."

As Satoshi got up, he noticed a few pairs of eyes looking at him. Turning, he sweatdropped to see three boys, about his age, following him. "Um, can I help you?"

"Uh..." the first boy turned red out of embarrassment. He was much younger than the others, with short bleached hair and blue eyes.

"Hehe..." The second, who seemed to be the oldest, ran a hand self-consciously through his reddish hair. "Sorry about this..."

However, the third grinned shamelessly. "You're new here, aren't you? I know... I remember the face of every girl in town!" Satoshi sweatdropped.

"Well, i-isn't that nice..."

"Anyway, we're the Brothers of Kioku Town! What's your name?" the blue-haired one asked.

"Satoko," said Satoshi, slipping back into 'girl' mode. "And yours?"

"S," said the blue-haired one.

"... 'S'," 'Satoko' repeated.

"Yep! That's my name, don't wear it out!" said S.

"And your brothers...?"

"K," said the red-haired one.

"T," said the blonde one.

"Ah," 'Satoko' said, although she was really more confused now than before. "Does that... stand for anything?"

"Hm? No! Of course not," said S. "It doesn't stand for 'Sonic,' if that's what you're getting at!" 'Satoko' sweatdropped. "Anyway... what's a pretty girl like you doing out here all alone?"

"I'm looking for one of my friends," 'Satoko' said (in what she thought seemed a very girlish voice).

"Boy or girl?"

"... girl."

"Oh! Yes!" S grinned. 'Satoko' had a sinking feeling that she ought to get away, and get away _now..._ "Well, what's the big rush? Let us show you around town for a while!"

"Actually, I _am_ kind of... in a rush," 'Satoko' said, backing away.

"Well, let's help you find your friend, then," said K. "We know where all of the great stores are in Kioku. Maybe she's there."

'_Yeah, Haruka's probably at the biggest store in town...'_ Satoshi thought. _'Might as well get there fast...'_ "Well, if you put it that way," 'Satoko' said, smiling.

"All right! Let's go!" S said, grabbing 'Satoko's' hand, causing a distinctly uncomfortable feeling to run down Satoshi's spine...

"Hey!" said K. "Who said you get to hold her hand?"

"I did," said S. "You got a problem with that?"

"I'm the oldest! I should be the one who gets to escort her!"

"But I'm better looking!" S said proudly.

"Gah! You deserve this!" K shouted, tackling S to the ground. 'Satoko' backed away, slightly startled as S and K proceeded to thrash each other over _her._

Shyly, T walked up to 'Satoko.' "I... I could take you to the shops," he said quietly.

'Satoko' smiled, and T's face went red. "Thanks! That'd be a big help."

As the two of them walked away from the fight scene (where a crowd was rapidly gathering...), T said, "I have to apologize for my brothers' behavior... They kind of go wacko whenever they see a girl." He sweatdropped.

"That's all right... I know that kind of guy," 'Satoko' admitted, thinking of Takeshi. _'Jeez... I feel sorry for Joi-san and Junsa now...'_ Satoshi thought.

After a few minutes of walking, 'Satoko' found herself in the heart of town. "All of Kioku's biggest stores are along this street," said T. "And if you need help finding something, just ask. For every weirdo like my brothers, there's at least five people who'll be nice to you."

"I think I've found one right here," 'Satoko' smiled at T, whose face was starting to resemble a cherry tomato. "Thanks for helping me out!"

"No problem," said T as he walked off.

"And now, to find Haruka," Satoshi said, 'Satoko's' manner starting to wear off. But before he could take two steps, he heard a familiar cry in the air...

"Pika pi! Pikachu!"

"Pikachu? No!" Satoshi hissed, turning around. Sure enough, a large yellow mouse was running straight toward him. "Pikachu, I thought I told you to watch my stuff..."

"Leon! _Leon!"_ came a boy's voice. Satoshi looked up and saw someone running after the Pikachu. Glancing at the Pokémon, he noticed the tuft of fur sticking up from its head...

"Leon?" Satoshi looked up in shock. _"Hiroshi?"_

Sure enough, it was. His hat askew from pushing past people, Hiroshi was running after Leon with all of his might. Satoshi could think of only one thing to do, considering the _last_ time he'd encountered a Pikachu while dressed like this...

_He ran._

Unfortunately, this poor soul had never attempted running while in a dress and wearing nice shoes.

"Pikapi!" Leon squeaked, still running. Satoshi stumbled along, trying his hardest to get away from the little Pikachu...

"Leon, no!" he hissed. "Go away!"

"Pika?" Leon tilted his head and stopped, a few feet away. Satoshi continued to back away slowly... Leon's nose twitched as he sniffed the air, trying to figure out why this girl he'd never seen before smelled so familiar...

"Good, good... Okay, Leon, just stay there until Hiroshi finds you," Satoshi whispered, still backing away. But unfortunately for our hero (heroine?)...

"Pikachu..." A very mischievous look came over Leon's face as without warning, he dashed toward Satoshi.

"Leon, stop!" yelled Hiroshi, who broke into the scene just in time to see Leon run under 'Satoko's' skirt.

"Kyaaa!" 'Satoko' managed to remember to scream in a girlish fashion as she felt Leon's fur brush past her bare ankle. _'I am never wearing a skirt again!'_

"Oh my gosh, Leon!" Hiroshi yelped, his face turning red (Satoshi wondered how many boys were going to blush over the course of this day). "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" he yelled. (Meanwhile, the entire crowd started leaving the awkward scene as best as they could...)

"_Kyaaa!"_ 'Satoko' shrieked again, for Leon was now standing right next to her leg. Feeling very bad for what she was about to do, 'Satoko' kicked Leon out from under her skirt, then tried to run. Unfortunately, she promptly tripped over her dress.

"Oh my gosh... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." The next thing she knew, Hiroshi was standing over 'Satoko,' apologizing profusely. "I-I'm sorry... I don't think he's really ever seen a long skirt like what you're wearing, I'm sorry, I think he was just trying to play with you, I'm sorry, he's usually very well behaved, I'm so so so sorry..."

"Th-that's all right," 'Satoko' managed to say as Hiroshi helped her to her feet. Suddenly, Hiroshi looked at 'Satoko' in a very strange manner...

"You look... really familiar... somehow," he said, scratching his head. 'Satoko' sweatdropped.

"I've heard that before..."

"What?"

"Nothing! Nothing..."

"Pika!" Leon looked up happily at 'Satoko,' recognizing fully who was under that wig. After all, no amount of clothes can mask one's scent.

"Leon, be polite," Hiroshi said. But much to his chagrin, Leon took a great leap straight into 'Satoko's' arms.

"So, your name is Leon, huh?" 'Satoko' said, giving the impression that she'd never met this Pikachu before. Leon looked at her strangely, wondering what kind of game Satoshi was playing.

Quickly, Satoshi whispered so that Hiroshi couldn't hear, "Leon, don't let Hiroshi know who I am! Okay?"

"Pika..." Leon frowned, then shrugged. "Pikachu." Then, he jumped back onto Hiroshi's shoulder.

Hiroshi smiled. "You'll have to excuse him. I think he gets a little excited in places with a lot of people... Oh! I'm being rude. My name's Hiroshi, and this is Leon," he said.

"I'm Satoko. Nice to meet you."

"So, what're you doing around here?" Hiroshi asked, folding his hands behind his head.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine," 'Satoko' said, glancing around through the store windows. However, while the street had become significantly less crowded (after all, few folks enjoy being caught near an awkward situation), most of the people had ended up ducking into the nearest shop, making it nearly impossible to locate Haruka from the street... "How about you?"

"Oh, just passing through. I'm traveling around, training Pokémon," shrugged Hiroshi.

"Really? That's cool," said 'Satoko,' genuinely interested. "Pokémon are the best..."

"Yeah," Hiroshi grinned. "But meeting people is fun, too." He glanced at 'Satoko's' face again. "Do you do a lot of traveling?"

"Oh, here and there..." said 'Satoko' vaguely.

"Hmm... maybe I've seen you before, but never talked to you..." Hiroshi murmured. "Oh well! You want to look around for your friend?"

"Sure," said 'Satoko,' and off the two went (amid the whispers and giggles of several Leagueshippers... ah, I mean, "_spectators"_...)

.

.

.

Meanwhile, the crowds of people slowly started filtering back into the streets. One of them, a fifteen-year-old boy who was wrapped in a cloak, found himself being jostled along, until he reached a certain large gathering...

"You guys, cut it out! She's gone now!"

"He started it!" two boys could be heard yelling out at each other.

"I hate you, S!"

"I hate you more, K!"

"Ohh..." T sighed. Just then, the mysterious boy placed a hand on T's shoulder. T looked up and found himself staring into the face of a certain, very familiar character...

"I'll take it from here," the boy said, pulling T away from the scene. "Now, as for you two," he said, addressing S and K, who were not listening at all... "Kamekkusu! Hydro Pump!" There was a flash of light as the giant turtle appeared.

"Guraaa!" roared Kamekkusu, blasting water from the double cannons in its shell. S and K were caught in the current and smacked against the side of a nearby building.

The mysterious boy snickered. "All right, Kamekkusu, that's enough. Return," he said, holding up the Poké Ball. A red tractor beam came from the ball, reverting Kamekkusu to energy and drawing it back into the sphere.

"Wow, mister!" said T excitedly. "That was great!"

"Hehehe..." the mysterious boy put his hands in his pockets and started to walk away. "That was nothing..."

A few people in the crowd started clamoring, "Who are you? Tell us who you are!"

The mysterious boy tossed his reddish-brown hair in a very dramatic, slightly out-of-place scene as several girls swooned. His cloak billowing majestically around him, he spoke in an overly dignified manner. "Just call me...

"_Ookido Shigeru."_

.

.

.

"So, do you have any idea where this 'Haruka' might be?" Hiroshi asked 'Satoko' as they walked along the street.

"No, not really..." 'Satoko' said, looking from one store window to the next. "But I know she likes shopping. One time, she bought three bathing suits when we stopped somewhere for the day." 'Satoko' made a face. "I can't understand why she likes clothes so much," she muttered, temporarily forgetting that she was trying to learn how to think like a girl.

"Really?" said Hiroshi, slightly surprised. "You look like you've got some sense of style yourself."

"Huh? Really?" 'Satoko' looked down at her dress. "You think this looks good?"

"It looks cute on you," said Hiroshi, his face turning slightly pink.

Apparently, neither Hiroshi nor Satoshi knew anything about style...

"Are you _crazy?"_ Hiroshi and 'Satoko' both looked up to see a girl walking toward them. She seemed to be slightly older than them, with light blue hair that stuck out in two ponytails on the sides of her head. Following her was a boy, who seemed to be carrying twice his weight in shopping bags...

"Marina..." he whined.

"Hm? Kenta? Something wrong?" Marina turned to her friend.

_Wham!_ Hiroshi and 'Satoko' sweatdropped as Kenta collapsed onto the pavement, dozens of bags covering his body. "Um, is he all right?" 'Satoko' asked.

"Kenta? Oh, sure," Marina smiled, waving it off. Hiroshi and 'Satoko' sweatdropped further.

"Need... help... need... air..." Kenta moaned from where he lay.

"Kenta!" Marina chided him. "Get up! Build some muscle!"

"Ohh..."

"Girls are _weird..."_ Satoshi muttered under his breath. Hiroshi turned.

"Did you say something, Satoko?"

"Huh? No, of course not," 'Satoko' giggled nervously.

"Anyway!" said Marina, turning to Hiroshi and 'Satoko' (and completely disregarding Kenta). "No offense, sweetie, but you look as if you've stepped out of a history book." 'Satoko' glowered at her. "I mean, the long skirt, and the lace, and the hair ribbon and all are nice enough on some occasions, but you shouldn't be dressed like that out in public! It's like your mother dressed you, and she thinks you're still five years old!" 'Satoko' continued to glower...

"Now, _this..."_ said Marina, digging through one of her shopping bags and pulling out a mint-green skirt with a sash strung through the belt loops, _"this_ is cute. It'd even go with that hair ribbon you're wearing! Wouldn't this be just _adorable_ on her, Kenta?" she asked with a giggle.

Kenta finally managed to stick his head out from the pile of shopping bags. "Marina, they're not dolls..."

"Oh, whatever... party pooper," Marina shook her head. "Ignore him." She took a closer look at 'Satoko' and frowned. "Although, it might be a while yet before you'll want to wear really, uh, 'grown-up' clothes... Although, your hair kind of hides _that_ area..."

"Uhh...?"

"And as for you," she said, looking at Hiroshi, who paled.

"Wh-what's wrong with my clothes?" he asked. 'Satoko' looked at him; he was wearing the same green outfit he'd always worn before.

"Jeez. Boys," Marina said, rolling her eyes. "You've got the same problem, dressing like a little kid!"

"Well, I guess it has been a while since I got any new clothes..." Hiroshi mumbled. "Not really a lot of time for shopping while you're training Pokémon..."

"Exactly," Marina pointed out. "So let's see... Kenta, hand me that bag over there, would you?"

Kenta's eye twitched, as he was still buried under all of the shopping bags. "Why don't you come get it yourself?"

"Oh, Kenta..." Marina sighed, plucking one bag off the pile.

Kenta grinned. "Now, if you could just do that about a hundred and fifteen more times..."

"Silly!" Marina laughed at him.

"No... I'm serious..."

Ignoring Kenta again, Marina pulled out an outfit. It consisted of black pants, a black, long-sleeved shirt with a red "V" shape across it, black gloves and... a cape?

"Uhh..." Hiroshi stared at the clothes. "Why is there a... cape?"

"Ooh, I love capes!" Marina squealed, while Kenta rolled his eyes. "And this outfit! It's almost exactly like Wataru's! _Wataru_ has a cape, you know!"

"Wataru?" repeated Hiroshi.

"You mean the Dragon Master?" 'Satoko' gaped. Marina squealed again.

"Oh my gosh, you know about him too! Isn't he the coolest?" Hugging the outfit, Marina started dreamily staring off into space...

"Um... yeah," 'Satoko' sweatdropped. "Sure..."

"Try it on! Try it on!" Marina giggled, shoving the outfit toward Hiroshi.

Hiroshi hesitated, not sure what to do. "Um... but, didn't you buy it? Shouldn't you keep it for yourself?"

"Oh come on," Marina said. "I'm not going to wear it! Although, Kenta..." she trailed off, turning to him.

"Marinaaa..."

"Just wear it _sometimes!"_ begged Marina. "It looked so cute on you back in the store!" Kenta looked around nervously, in case someone had happened to hear that. "Otherwise, I might have to just give it to this boy!" Hiroshi sweatdropped.

"No, no, it's all right, you can keep it..."

"Hmph." Marina looked at all three of them. "None of you have any sense of fashion whatsoever..." Suddenly, her eyes caught something off in the distance. "Oh...!" Without any warning, Marina jumped up and ran off.

Hiroshi and 'Satoko' watched her retreating figure, until Kenta's voice snapped them back to his situation. "Um... really. Could someone help me?"

"Oh! Sorry," Hiroshi said. He and 'Satoko' each grabbed one of Kenta's hands, pulling him from the deathtrap that was Marina's shopping.

"Whew! Thanks, guys," Kenta sighed, greatly relieved (especially of the pressure on his lungs...)

"I don't get girls like her," 'Satoko' frowned, motioning to Marina. "She's exactly like Haruka... always buying _clothes_ and stuff..."

"Yeah, well..." Kenta said, dusting himself off, "she's a good friend. And that's enough for me." Hiroshi noticed a quiet look suddenly come over 'Satoko's' face. "Anyway, I'd best follow her..." Kenta then turned back to the large pile of shopping bags and paled. "Well... it builds muscle, right?"

"Eeeek!" Kenta, Hiroshi, and 'Satoko' all turned in the direction of the scream.

"That was Marina!" shouted Kenta, and he bounded straight past Hiroshi and 'Satoko.' Hiroshi and 'Satoko' glanced at each other, then followed.

A few seconds after they left, Haruka exited a nearby shop, one shopping bag in hand. "Well, I hope _this_ doesn't irritate Satoshi too much," she muttered. "One outfit. Is that really too much?" Then she looked up. Haruka gaped at the huge pile of assorted shopping bags scattered on the sidewalk.

"Uhh...?"

.

.

.

"Wh-who are you?" Shigeru raised an eyebrow at the girl, who was currently examining his cloak.

"Ohh... it's not a cape, huh?" she frowned. "Darn... but it's still so cool!" Shigeru sweatdropped.

"You... like it that much?"

"Yes!" Marina shrieked. "It's simple, but sturdy... good for traveling and style alike!" Shigeru blinked.

"Uh... if you say so..."

"Kenta ought to see this!" said Marina happily. "Oh, there he is now."

"Marina!" yelled Kenta. "We heard you yell! What happ... You!" he gaped at Shigeru. "You were in the tournament! What are _you_ doing here?"

"... do I know you?"

"Hm? Oh, no... but, I'm a friend of Jun'ichi," Kenta said. "He said you helped him and his Meganiumu when it got into a fight with some person's Fushigidane..." Hiroshi noticed 'Satoko's' mouth tighten...

"Oh, yeah... Satoshi's Fushigidane," Shigeru scratched his head, recalling the event. "Yeah, and I told Junsa they were sparring. Heh," he grinned. "Yeah... totally out of control... And who're you?" he asked Hiroshi. "And... your friend?" For 'Satoko' had just ducked behind Hiroshi.

'_If Shigeru catches me like this...!'_ Satoshi turned red at just the thought of it.

"I'm Hiroshi, and this... er... this is Satoko," Hiroshi said.

"Ah. Didn't I see you back at the Seikei Tournament?" Shigeru asked. "You won against Satoshi, didn't you?"

"Yeah..."

"Heh... he's a firework, isn't he? Managed to beat me in the Jouto competition." Shigeru grinned. "We've known each other since we were little..."

"Um, Hiroshi..." 'Satoko' whispered. "I have to go find Haruka..."

"Oh! That's right," Hiroshi slapped his forehead. "I forgot... Well, maybe we can meet up later...? Like, maybe tonight, somewhere...?"

'_Is he asking me...?'_ Before the urge to puke made its way to reality, Satoshi hurriedly turned away.

"Uh, sorry... I think Haruka and I will be out of town before tonight. But, it was nice seeing you again, Hiroshi!" 'Satoko' waved before dashing off. "Bye!"

"Bye, Satoko!" Hiroshi waved back. "Wait a minute," he paused.

"'_Again'...?"_

But Shigeru had noticed something very familiar in that girl's face as she'd run away... something very, _very_ familiar... more familiar to him than anyone could know...

For, unlike anyone else who had happened to run across 'Satoko'...

Ookido Shigeru was not stupid.

.

.

.

When he was quite far from where he'd left Hiroshi, Satoshi halted behind some more well-placed shrubbery.

"Okay, that's _it,"_ he hissed. "Maybe this disguise is a little _too_ good...

"... but I still feel bad for leaving Hiroshi behind like that," he frowned. "And Shigeru. Maybe I'll find them once this is all said and done..." Satoshi thought for a moment. "Why the heck am I doing this anyway...?"

'_To prove to Haruka that I can _so _understand girls!'_ Satoshi smirked maliciously.

'_But... does it really matter?'_ Satoshi's slightly-evil grin faded. _'I mean... maybe I just...'_ He sighed. _'After all... it's like what Kenta said. Haruka's one of my best friends, and if we don't always see eye to eye... well, does it really matter? What about all of the other times?_

'_Maybe I just ought to apologize... and then I can go back to normal!'_ thought Satoshi, for the past few hours of experience with (slightly more mature than himself) teenage boys had certainly quite disturbed him and... terrified him out of his wits. _'If I never see another one like them, it'll be too soon...'_

"So, why'd you run off like that?"

"Kyaaa!" 'Satoko' nearly fell over as she heard Shigeru's voice behind her.

"Aren't you supposed to be looking for your friend? Wouldn't she be back at the shops?" Shigeru pointed.

"Y-yeah... of course..." 'Satoko' stammered. Trying her best to hide her face, she pushed past Shigeru.

"Hey. Let me get a good look at you," Shigeru said, putting a hand on 'Satoko's' shoulder.

'_No! No no no no no!'_ Satoshi mentally screamed. After all, the two boys had grown up with each other since they were little... surely Shigeru would be the one to notice who he was...!

"I'm sorry I'm in a big hurry please let me go!" 'Satoko' yelped, voice rising in pitch again out of nervousness.

"I just want to see if I've ever seen you before... you look really-"

"Familiar, I know, a couple of people have told me that today," 'Satoko' said hurriedly. "I guess I just have one of those 'familiar faces'... Now can I please go...? And wasn't Marina talking to you?"

"She and the other two went back to pick up some shopping bags... or something," Shigeru said, still a bit confused from his encounter with the blue-haired girl. "She said she really does prefer capes to cloaks, no offense intended..."

"Yeah, that's nice... well... I've really gotta be going," 'Satoko' said, walking out onto the sidewalk. "See you later, Shigeru..."

"How'd you know my name?"

"Erk..." 'Satoko' froze. _'Darn! He never introduced himself to us...!'_

"Did you recognize me from the tournament?"

Satoshi sighed in relief.

"Y-yeah, that's where I've heard your name from..."

"You know, usually girls go all goofy on me when they recognize me," Shigeru said, a grin spreading across his face. "Part of the reason why I've been wearing this cloak. Who'd have thought it would actually end up _attracting_ girls?" Shigeru sweatdropped. "Anyway... I haven't met many girls like you. Do you train Pokémon? You seem like the type who would."

"Huh? Oh, I... no... not really," 'Satoko' lied. "Haruka does, though," she added.

"But you don't? That's too bad." Shigeru frowned. "I bet you'd be good at it. Hey, I've got an idea!" he grinned. "You said you and Haruka are leaving town tonight... mind if I tag along?"

"_YES. YES, I DO,"_ 'Satoko' said very loudly.

"Yeesh, touchy..." Shigeru raised an eyebrow. "Sorry. Girls' night out or something?"

"Um... yeah."

"Hey, just curious, but... what do girls do when they hang out with each other?" A hint of a smirk flitted across Shigeru's face...

'_Aaah...?'_ Satoshi was trapped. "Uh, we... go shopping... for... clothes... and... talk about, um, girl stuff... and... uhhh..."

"You can't fool me, _Satoshi."_

"_Huh?"_ 'Satoko's' eyes widened in shock. "I-I mean... M-my name is S-Satoko!"

"Hehehe..." Shigeru shook his head, laughing. "Come on. You thought I wouldn't recognize you?"

"I-I told you, a bunch of people have told me that..."

"Yeah, people you've _met, _probably," Shigeru said. "Hiroshi was one of them, right?" 'Satoko' was silent. "And come _on. _'Satoko'? Honestly, couldn't you come up with a better name than that?"

"B-but, my name _is_ Satoko..."

"Gah!" Shigeru sighed. "When will you give up?" He shook his head. "Now, really. Come here so I can get a better look at you... you know, this'll be quite the story for the folks back home..."

"_What?"_ 'Satoko' nearly shrieked.

"Ah-hah!" yelled Shigeru as he pointed a finger at the girl. "That proves it!"

"No! Please don't tell my family what I'm doing out here! Just 'cause I want to... er... train Pokémon..." 'Satoko' said the first thing that came to mind. Much to Shigeru's surprise, the girl started to tremble, sniffling. "You wouldn't do that to a girl, would you?"

"Uh...?" Shigeru was at a loss for words. "A-are you... serious?"

"Waaaah!" wailed 'Satoko' as she dashed through the bush, apparently crying her eyes out. Shigeru gawked at the sight.

"I... I don't believe it... she's not Satoshi?" mumbled Shigeru. "Oh jeez... do I ever feel like an idiot," he sighed as he followed 'Satoko.' But just as he jumped through the bush...

"_Uwaaah!" Thud._

'_Huh...?'_ A very embarrassed Shigeru felt his face grow hot as he realized he had jumped straight into 'Satoko,' knocking them both to the ground. Hurriedly leaping to his feet, he stepped backward. However, the event did not go unnoticed by several random passersby...

"Waaah!" cried 'Satoko,' covering her face with her hands.

Shigeru stammered, "A-are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

'Satoko' sniffled, then yelled (perhaps a bit louder than Shigeru would have liked), "You're such a jerk! Just because I was hanging out with Hiroshi doesn't mean you can be so mean to him! Or me!"

Shigeru's eyes widened. The girl was lying through her teeth! But more and more eyes were being drawn to the scene...

"Uhhh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Shigeru yelled for everyone to hear, then knelt down, grabbed 'Satoko's' shoulder, and hissed in her ear, "What are you _doing?_ I never got mad at you for being with Hiroshi!"

"Liar!" screeched 'Satoko,' pushing Shigeru away. "Save your sweet talk! I don't want to be around you anymore, you jerk!" People began to whisper, much to Shigeru's terror.

"But, Satoko, what did I..."

"You know what you did! You came up out of nowhere and attacked Hiroshi with Kamekkusu!" More whispers, as Shigeru's panic increased.

"_Yes, that sounds right..." "I saw that fellow come out of nowhere and blast a few fellow against a building with a Kamekkusu..." "I wonder which one was 'Hiroshi'?..."_

"I-I did not!" Shigeru nearly wailed at 'Satoko'.

"Go ahead! Try and fool all of these people!" 'Satoko' screamed. "I hate you! I never should have listened to you!" With that, 'Satoko' broke down into another fit of crying.

"S-Satoko, I didn't... I don't... what? Hey, wait a min...!" Shigeru's eyes, widened in fright, could only be seen for a moment before he was engulfed in a crowd of angry people.

"Jerk!" "Loser!" "Why'd you treat your girlfriend like that?"

"Girlfriend? No! She's not my..."

"Not anymore, you mean!" a lady yelled before knocking Shigeru to the ground with her purse.

As Shigeru's head hit ground level, he spotted a flash of orange above his head. It was 'Satoko's' skirt, only a few inches from his face... Shifting his vision "northward," Shigeru couldn't believe his eyes... Unfortunately for him, the crowd was whaling on him pretty darn well, and 'Satoko' managed to dash away without any trouble from Shigeru.

But before Shigeru blacked out, one last thought drifted through his mind...

'_That wasn't... girls' underwear...'_

.

.

.

"_Pant, pant, pant, pant, pant..."_

Satoshi ran as fast as his legs could take him. This time, he'd been smart; he'd taken those darn shoes off first, and remembered to hold up the skirt as he ran (resulting in a very girlish run...)

As he made his escape, Satoshi was filled with a mixed feeling of guilt, embarrassment, and intense pride. After all, it wasn't every day that he was able to lie like that. But still... having to do that to Shigeru... that earned quite a bit of guilt...

And as for the embarrassment? Well... seriously. Satoshi felt his face go red as he listened to his own voice in his head. Sitting out there, blatantly pretending to be a girl (and pretending pretty well!) in front of a huge crowd of people...

"There it is," Satoshi whispered to himself, spotting the place where he'd left Pikachu and his clothes. Bare feet slapping against the pavement, Satoshi virtually threw himself through the bushes, landing face-first on the riverbank.

"Pika?" Pikachu jumped up, quite startled. But it was met only by the orange dress as it was flung over Pikachu's face.

"Pika..."

"Yechh!" Satoshi yelled as he pulled the blonde wig off his head. Grabbing the dress, shoes, and wig, he stuffed them all into the paper bag, and without another thought tossed them all into the river.

And as he sat there, dressed in nothing but his shorts, Satoshi had never felt better in his life.

"Forget it, Takeshi! Who needs to know how girls think!" Satoshi said, almost victoriously, as he watched the much hated disguise float away down the water.

"Pikapi?"

"Pikachaaa ha ha ha!"

"That's right, Pikachu! Let Haruka be Haruka! We're better off just being ourselves! _We're free men!"_ Satoshi yelled, jumping to his feet.

"Pikaaa...?"

"Yeah, what is it, Pikachu?" Satoshi said, turning around... and was met by _two_ Pikachu, one with a tuft of fur spiking off of its head...

"... Leon."

"Leon!" yelled Hiroshi, bursting through the bush. Suddenly, he spotted Satoshi... "Um... hi."

"... hi."

"Er... what're you doing here?" Hiroshi asked. "... in your... underpants," he finished flatly.

Satoshi coughed. A few seconds passed before he spoke. "Uh... this is..."

"Awkward?" Hiroshi blinked.

"... yeah."

"Um... I'm going to step back here," Hiroshi said, cautiously stepping through the bush, "and... I'm going to pretend I didn't see... you."

"Thank you." Satoshi sweatdropped. Very, very quickly, Hiroshi disappeared.

"Pikapiii!" Leon howled with laughter, before a gloved hand reached through the foliage and yanked him back by his tail. Pikachu, for whatever reason, shook a fist at Leon before he completely disappeared.

"Pikaaa..."

"... well," Satoshi said. "Pikachu... hand me my pants..."

.

.

.

Haruka, Masato, and Takeshi had just sat down to dinner in the Pokémon Center when a very bedraggled, tired-looking (albeit, fully-clothed) Satoshi walked in.

"Satoshi! Where have you been?" Takeshi asked.

"Yeah! You missed a whole day of shopping," Masato added. "You should've seen how many Pokémon-themed stores there are around here. They're _not_ just fashion outlets for girls..."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Haruka muttered. "Anyway... I've been thinking about what you said, and I'm sorry," she said to Satoshi. "I really should be paying more attention to my Pokémon training... after all, I've got another contest coming up, and..."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry, Haruka," Satoshi interrupted. "I should've just been more patient with you... I, kind of lost my head. I sort of... came across something that reminded me of a couple of... bad memories," he added. "Guess it made me a little irritable today..."

"Well, all's well that ends well, right?"

"Yeah..."

"There you go, Satoshi!" Takeshi said proudly.

Satoshi blinked. "Whaa...?"

"That's the key to getting to a girl's heart! Be patient, and kind, and understanding... Girls like guys who are sensitive to their feelings, and who are willing to overlook their small differences to focus on what really matters between them... their relationship, and how well they work together!" said Takeshi.

Haruka sweatdropped. "Wow... that was really nice, Takeshi." Takeshi beamed. "And now it _almost_ doesn't make sense as to why you drive away every girl in a ten mile radius." A gloom cloud appeared over Takeshi's head...

"Anyway, what's for dinner?" Satoshi asked, sitting down. But suddenly, a loud siren could be heard...

"Gangway! Gangway!" yelled Nurse Joi, flinging open the Center doors. An ambulance pulled up to the entrance, and several Lakkii carrying a stretcher entered the building.

"Uggh..." The figure lying on the stretcher moaned. Joi looked at it very closely, then frowned.

"What do you think I'm running here? This is a person, not a Pokémon!"

"Ugh..." moaned the person on the stretcher. "So many people... crowd... Satoko... ran away... they beat me up..."

"Oh dear," Joi murmured. "Delusional. Well, bring him back, and I'll see what I can do..."

"Lakkii lakkii!" The Lakkii nurses picked Shigeru up and carried him across the room. Satoshi sweatdropped as they passed by...

"... on second thought, I'm really not that hungry anymore..."

Shigeru's eyes widened as he heard Satoshi's voice. "You!" he shouted, sitting up very quickly. Unfortunately, the sudden shift in weight caused the Lakkii to drop Shigeru rather roughly on the ground. "Owch!"

"Let's go!" Satoshi said very loudly, pulling Haruka, Takeshi, and Masato out of their seats and out the door.

"Sato... Sato... _Sato..."_ Shigeru mumbled from where he sat in a daze.

"Yes, that's right," Joi said, sweatdropping. "Now come along..."

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"Oh well. You know, I think dinner is always best over a campfire," Takeshi said. "Nothing like the wild outdoors, a starry sky overhead... Haruka, could you go get some water to boil?"

"Okay," said Haruka, taking the bucket down to the nearby river. A few minutes had passed, when Satoshi and the others heard a delighted yell...

"Oh my gosh!" Haruka exclaimed, dashing back to the camp. "Look what I found!" she said, holding up a soggy paper bag...

Just then, much to everybody's surprise, Satoshi jumped up as if his seat had been set on fire.

"_Aaaaaah!"_

"Satoshi?" Takeshi, Masato, and Haruka all exclaimed at once, but in a split second, Satoshi had already disappeared from sight...

But as he ran, one thing lingered of him; the sound of his voice, hanging on the cool evening air...

"_Satoko is DEAD! Dead, I tell yooouuu!"_

Haruka, Masato, and Takeshi sat around the campfire blankly. Finally, Haruka's voice broke the silence...

"... who's 'Satoko'?"

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_**EPILOGUE...**_

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Sometime the next day, Haruka, Masato, and Takeshi tracked down Satoshi, deep in the woods, where they confirmed that no one was, indeed, _actually_ "dead". Haruka and Masato never did find out what significance Haruka's old dress-up clothes meant to him, but upon closer examination Takeshi recognized them quite well... However, what occurred after that is a story that shall be saved for a bit later...

Hiroshi spent a while feeling a bit down over the sudden disappearance of 'Satoko,' but news that Shigeru was in the hospital snapped him out of his slight depression. Not that he was particularly _happy_ about that, of course...

Shigeru, although in the hospital, was soon released with nothing more than some slight bruising. However, he ended up spending most of his recovery convincing Hiroshi that "there are other fish in the sea"... Of course, he never let Hiroshi know the actual identity of 'Satoko'... thank goodness. Imagine the awkward silence that would have occurred. As for Shigeru himself, he decided to keep the identity of 'Satoko' a secret... for now. You never know when you might need to blackmail someone.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to any of the humans, Leon had quite a good time with a dubiously obtained bag of "Ultra Supremo Poké Chow." As it turns out, Pikachu's giggling had attracted the oh-so-curious Leon, who not only had a sense of humor, but a rather dangerous side as well. Leon bet Pikachu a bag of topnotch Poké Chow that Satoshi would eventually crack while pretending to be 'Satoko.' Pikachu, ever faithful to its master, had taken the opposing side... and lost, as we know all too well. Hence the mysterious fist-shaking. Unfortunately, Leon got a bit carried away with his "winnings" and ended up with a stomachache. This, in turn, shook Hiroshi out of his depression, with the (incorrect, but well-meaning) idea that his moping had somehow led to one of his Pokémon falling ill...

S and K ended up getting arrested by Junsa for fighting in public and "disturbing the peace." Hehehe... As for T, his politeness with 'Satoko' earned him the interest of a pretty, kindhearted (and genuine) young lady. Karma, perhaps. So let that be a lesson to all of you young men out there.

Kenta did eventually build up some muscle, of course. He and Marina soon split ways, each going on their own Pokémon journey... but not before Marina had convinced Kenta to take with him the Wataru-esque outfit. And who knows? Being such a devoted friend, perhaps Kenta will wear it someday... or not. After all, the boy does have _some_ sense or pride... somewhere.

And finally... Satoshi himself escaped from the entire ordeal with only the faintest scars, the strongest of which was the lesson that one shouldn't pursue revenge in the first place... it's usually not worth it. Or something like that. Who knows what goes on in the mind of Satoshi.

At any rate, Satoshi made it clear to Haruka that he never knew girls had to go through so much... that their lives seemed so much infinitely harder than his own. Of course, Haruka had no clue what he was talking about, but had better sense than to correct him. And that was a stroke of good fortune, too... after all, one can imagine that Haruka wouldn't take well to the news that Satoshi's face would create the image of a pretty girl better than her own.

Now, as for the tale that followed when Takeshi realized why Haruka's dress-up clothes looked so familiar...

"Now, I have a feeling why you, ah, revived 'Satoko'..." said Takeshi to Satoshi, while Haruka and Masato were off gathering supplies, "and I want to say, I'm very proud of you."

"Um... are you serious?" Satoshi sweatdropped. "My plan didn't really work."

"Ah, but it did!" said Takeshi. "You see, you went into the whole ordeal to prove to Haruka that you could understand her and girls in general. And while you were a girl, you figured out that you preferred the nice boys rather than the pigheaded ones... which you yourself had been only a few hours beforehand."

"Um... not really."

Takeshi twitched. "Yes, you _did,"_ he said firmly. "And, with that, you learned the secret to a girl's heart; sensitivity!"

"Um... I didn't _want_ to learn the secret to a girl's heart," Satoshi pointed out. "I wanted to freak out Haruka."

"..." Takeshi twitched again. "And exactly how do _you_ manage to have good luck with the ladies?" he muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Nothing..." Takeshi sighed, turning away. Satoshi tilted his head in slight confusion, then started to walk away.

However, Takeshi had one last thing to tell him. "Oh, yeah, and not to burst your bubble... but even if you _had_ found Haruka, she'd have recognized you right off the bat. Those were _her_ dress-up clothes, you know."

Satoshi twitched.

"_Darn!"_

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And that is it for our story. Well, except for one last thing...

A few weeks later, Kasumi happened to spot a new issue of Pokémon Photography Monthly out at the Hanada Supermarket. Not really having anything better to do while her groceries were being scanned (after all, feeding that many Water Pokémon takes many, many bags of Poké Chow), she picked it up and started flipping through it. One particular caption caught her eye...

"_Pokémon photographer Tooru manages to bring us a rare picture of a specially colored Poppo today! Although this Poppo was a wild Pokémon, Tooru explains that living near Kioku Town tamed it and made it quite friendly toward humans. Posing in this picture is Satoko (no last name given)."_

"Satoko...?" Kasumi scratched her head, wondering why that name sounded so familiar. Her eyes drifted to the photo...

Kasumi wasn't stupid, either.

"_Kyaaaa...!"_

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The End!


End file.
